Explosive barrier.



G. E: ELIAx EXPLOSIVE BARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 113, I915.

MWf/VTO/i' Gmvanni Emanueie EIIa Patented May 18, 1915 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/JWESSEJI ATTORNEY) G. El EMA.

EXPLOSIVE BARRIER.

APPLICATION FlLE'D JAN. 18, 1915.

l,14:0,1 37. Patent efl May 18, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M lfA/ESSES: wmvro/r Li (Biz/Vanni Emanuele EHO @QKMQJMGIWK (N1.

G. E. ELIA.

EXPLOSIVE BARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I8, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- g kemmmwg WITNESSES: I WVf/VTOI? QQWWMJ GlOVCJrmiEmanuele EH0 P/ M 2o.

ATTOHWUJ UNITED STATES vlarrrnntr OFFICE.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, 0F ROME, ITALY, ASSIGNOR T0 VICKERS LIMITED, 01LONDON, ENGLAND.

EXPLOSIVE BARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, GIOVANNI EMANUELE Ema,gentleman. a subject of the King of Italy, and residing at 16 ViaLudovlsi, Rome, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin and Relating to Explosive Barriers, of which the following is acomplete specification.

This invention has for its object an explosive boom for the defense ofports and other similar purposes, and it has more particularly in viewto insure the explosion of at least one of the boom elements on the boombeing crossed by a running vessel, said explosion occurring namely ifthe vessel possesses a flaring bow (sliding vessel) which enables it topass over the boom. By combining the boom which forms the object of thisinvention with another suitable execution form, it is thus possible toinsure the explosion of the boom elements, whatever the shape of thevessel be, which crosses the boom.

In the accompanying drawings showing by way of example an explosive boomembodying the invention: Figure 1 is a diagram showing the boom in frontview; Fig. 2 is a side view and Fig. 3 a plan view of a boom representedat the moment of its be ing crossed by a vessel with flaring bow; Fig. 4represents a combined boom for the destruction of vessels with flaringbow or with straight-bow; Fig. 5 represents at a larger scale a detailof an explosive element for the boom shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the body of the boom is constituted by afloating rope or cable a connected by vertical cables 0 to a heavy lowercable b immersed to a suitable depth. The floating cable a. has aspecific weight which is less than that of the sea water or it can beprovided with floats, such for example as cork floats, similar to thoseused with fishing nets, for maintaining said cable in the position shownby chain lines in Fig. 1. The two ends of both cablesa and b areconnected to a common float or buoy (l moored to an anchor c fixed tothe bottom.

Arranged on the floating cable a is an explosive receptacle j which ispreferably located at the middle of each section connecting two adjacentvertical cables 0. The explosive receptacles f are'thus maintained at.the surface of the water or at a small distance from this surface so asto diminish their visibility. As shown in Fig. 5, each receptacle hasthe shape of a hollow .sphere containing an explosive charge, saidsphere being traversed along its horizontal axis by a watertight channel9 at one end of which a detonator k is arranged, which is provided witha primer 2' located in front of a striker j secured rigidly to a sleeveL screwed as for example by means of a left hand threaded part 172., toa member a. The latter is maintained by means of a right-hand screwthread on a cylindrical stem p which is free to rotate in the casing fand to theouter end of which is rigidly fixed a lever or arm 9. This armQ terminates into a weight or any other device for preventing said armfrom moving. The sleeve is is provided with a projection 8 entering intoa guiding groove 25 so as to prevent any relative rotation of saidsleeve k with respect to the channel 9.

Each explosive receptacle is inserted in the length of the cable a,which is fastened to the outer end of the stem p and to a lug, notshown, provided on the cap 1', closing the end of channel 9. Swiveljoints '0 are used for this fastening, so as to allow the receptacle fto rotate freely, relatively to the cable a. In the drawing only one ofthese joints is shown, it being connected with the stem [1, but it is tobe understood that one will be connected with the cap 1' also. In thenormal position, the channel 9 is thus horizontal and in alinement withthe cable (1 whereas the lever or arm 9 is vertical and directeddownward on account of the gravity.

\Vhen a vessel with a flaring bow having for instance the shape showndiagrammatically in Fig. 2 comes into contact with the boom, the roundedportion of its bow lowers the boom which passes consequently underneaththe keel of the vessel without being bodily moved to any appreciableextent. lVhile passing over the boom however, the hull of the vesselcomes into contact with at least one receptacle f and rotates it byfrictlon.

The arm (1 acts as an obstacle to the rotation of the stem 72 by reasonof its inertia, while the sleeve k partakes of the rotation of thereceptacle f. This results in an unscrewing of the member 11 either withregard to the part 0 or to the part In accordin to the travelingdirection of the ship. Y en the receptacle f has completed a certainnumber of turns, one of the screw-threaded parts 0 or m is completelyreleased and the sleeve 70, violently repulsed by a spring at located inits inside, projects the striker j against the primer 5, thus bringingof the receptaclef.

The length of the screw-threaded parts at Shape, the arrangement shownin Fig. 4 will rotation of receptacles f be preferably adopted. Thisarrangement consists in providing in the known manner an explosivereceptacle '0 on each vertical cable 0, the ignition of thesereceptacles being preferably brought about by the pull exerted on thecable 0, as is well known in previous devices. By combining these twoprotections, the destruction of the vessels with flaring straight bowswill be insured. The vessels which are provided at the bow part with adevice for destroying the protecting booms, can also be damaged as aconsequence of the with which said vessels come into contact after theboom is broken.

This invention is applicable to the defense of the ports and to theformation of stockades or strong chains for all purposes in the open seaor in sight of the coast, the anchoring being effected in a mannerapproriated to each particular case.

What I claim is: I

1. In an explosive barrier, a floating cable, and a rotatable explosivedevice carried by the cable, said explosive device having a about theexplosion bows as well as of those with 1 sliding and spring pressedhammer, a nonber and connected with the said parts so as to be detachedfrom one or the other of the parts according to the direction the deviceis rotated.

2. In an explosive barrier, a floating cable, and a rotatable explosivedevice interposed in the cable, said explosivedeviee having a slidingand spring pressed hammer, a nonrotatable member, and a member having aright and left hand screw connection with the hammer and thenon-rotatable member respectively, whereby when the device is rotatedthe hammer will be released.

3. In an explosive barrier, a rotatable explosive device having asliding and spring pressed hammer, a loosely mounted member having aweighted arm exterior of the device for preventing the member fromturning, and a member interposed between the said member and hammerandhaving a right and left hand screw connection with the said parts.

4. In an explosive barrier, an explosive device, comprising a hollowsphere having a transverse channel, a detonator in one end of thechannel, a spring pressed hammer carrier mounted to slide but not toturn in the channel, a rod projecting into the spherical body and havingon its inner end a right hand thread and an arm on its outer end, and amember screwing on the said rod and having on its other end a left handscrew thread screwing into the hammer carrier.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Rome (Italy), thisfourteenth (14th) day of January, 1915.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA... In the presence of- ULYSSES J. BYWATER, GUSTAVTIIADEN.

